new muscovy duckilngs hatching NOW!

[Miss Lydia]

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here is a good link about care of ducklings. http://feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingDucklings.html

 

[muddymomma]

thank you that helps a lot!

 

[jdywntr]

don't bathe it. it needs to stay warm and dry. You may want to try putting it back once some of the others hatch. I did this with one that hatched inside a few days late and mom was so mad at me for being close to her babies, she just gathered up the little peeping one with the rest.

Do get new feed. I googled the brand and it is medicated.

Good luck with your babies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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I also have an inside duckling, well he's 3 months old today

but he was rejected by his mama so we brought him in and have raised him as a son, [just kidding] but there are quite a few of us that have raised ducks from hatch so your in good company, hopefully mama will do a great job on the others and may just accept this one back.

 

[muddymomma]

ok, so i got new food, i bought waterfowl food as the feed place doesn't have unmedicated chick starter. no meds and the bag says it's ok to feed from day one. i've got a feeder and waterer in the doghouse where the ducklings have hatched. no way the ducklings can drown in it. mom & babies seem to be doing ok. 3 eggs are unhatched, and the mom keeps one clustered w/ the babies so i'm wondering if it may hatch. regardless i'm just letting her do her thing for now. she's got 11 ducklings that seem to be doing well so i'm happy! she was out of the doghouse this morning but no babies. i think they got hung up on the lip of the house so put a rubber mat up as a sort of ramp so hopefully they can get in and out ok.

the little duckling is also doing well after a pretty shaky start. i didnt' bathe it, jsut put it in a box w/ some shavings and a heat lamp. put in a little bowl of food and a shallow water dish. i heard it peep during the night, didnt' think much of it. my son woke me up at 5am crying, saying the duck was dead in it's water bowl. i jumped up and saw the little fellow laying on its back in the water dish. looked like something out of a cartoon but he was alive. i grabbed him up and dried him off and held him pretty close to the heat to get him warmed up. he was very weak, probably very close to death, but i got him dry and warm and put him back in his box (w/ a tiny water dish!). now he's running all over his box, he's clean and fluffy. (he was quite crusty before w/ bits of egg shell still stuck to him).

i haven't really seen him eating or drinking (i say him, really i have no idea if it's a him or her). i've been puting my finger in the water and putting a drop on his bill and he drinks that, and maybe a bite of food, 2 at most then he's done. should i worry about that? he seems lively enough.

my husband has been joking me a bit for going to so much trouble for a little duck. i just can't help it! not long ago we had a rooster crowing in the house that had been bitten by my dog. he was recovering for a couple weeks, crowing every morning driving us crazy! we ended up naming him 'joe' and everybody would say 'shut up joe!' every time he crowed lol!

anyway, i'm going to try to figure out how to get some pictures on here. stay tuned!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Happy to hear everyone is doing well, and thank goodness your son saw the duckling when he did, he's a hero! as far as eating he should get the hang of it soon, just keep doing what your doing. and be careful using pine shaving right off sometimes they will try to eat them and get blocked up, you might want to put some paper towel over top for about a week just to make sure he doesn't try to eat any.